Posts Tagged ‘Dermot Mulroney’

Okay, now we’re back on track. That’s right, two brand new episodes of The Flickcast in a row. No, no need to thank us. We just like to do nice things for you.

This week Chris and Joe take on some new topics and some old ones. Some of these include Hugh Jackman, the X-Men, the new Fantastic Four movie, St. Patrick’s Day myths and if beer is a good substitute for, well, pretty much anything. They also discuss a bunch of other stuff, but no need to go into it now. Just listen. You’ll enjoy it.

At the end of the film, we see a comparison between the actors and the people they played, none of whom are credited. And despite spending two hours with these fellows, there aren’t many you could name. Cliched as it is to say, but that’s a metaphor for the entire film — it’s so concerned with covering all the major events in the history of Apple Computers and simply the looks of its founders and key people that it misses the mark giving the viewer a sense of what made founder Steve Jobs tick.

Granted, the movie opens with a fantastic scene of Steve Jobs (Ashton Kutcher) announcing the iPod. Kutcher’s inflection, body language, and script are dead-on as he builds the audience’s anticipation, teasing them with hints and pauses and mere suggestions — there’s a mix of delight and arrogance that’s electric. Even if you’ve never heard Jobs speak, the performance still conveys the feeling of being in the presence of a great man at the peak of his strengths

It’s too bad the film likewise peaks in this scene. We flash back to Jobs’ college years where we’re told he’s a renegade, a rebel, the guy who doesn’t wear shoes and drops acid and casually mentions to a fling that he has a girlfriend He takes a hit in a field with his girlfriend (Amanda Crew) and after copious amounts of dancing, he lies back, restless. His girlfriend queries, “You’re thinking about your parents, aren’t you?” a tear rolls down Steve’s cheek, and the audience laughs.

Stoker is a film at odds with itself. On paper, it’s a slick piece of neo-gothic thrills, parading its Jane-Eyre/Mysteries of Udolpho (and more) influences, with red rooms, sinister-seeming relatives, fogged-out basements, and driblets of blood.

More plot-fully speaking, you have the mysterious death of a loved one, in this case the father Richard Stoker (Dermot Mulroney), who leaves his immense estate to his wife Evelyn (Nicole Kidman) and daughter India (Mia Wasikowska). Soon after, Richard’s estranged brother Charlie (Matthew Goode) shows up, taking a break from one of his frequent trips around the world. Charlie tries to reconnect with his brother’s family, seeming to seduce Evelyn but eliciting only hesitation and curious dread from India.

All three play their roles well, with Kidman wandering through her lines as in a daze, transfixed by the appearance of a younger, sleeker version of her husband. Mia is exactly the opposite, dissociated from everything and body. But the clear standout is Goode, who finally has found a role that utterly suits him — however specialized it may be. Kind and pleasant with a chilling, menacing undertone, you’re just waiting for him to explode.

If director Park Chan-Wook never did another movie besides Oldboy, he would still be regarded as a masterful filmmaker. Oldboy is just that good.

Fortunately, he isn’t resting on the laurels of that excellent movie. He’s doing more. In fact, he’s about to make his English language debut.

For this, a film called Stoker, he’s got Mia Wasikowska, Dermot Mulroney and Nicole Kidman to work with. The story, as we know it so far, is as follows:

After India’s father dies, her Uncle Charlie, who she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her unstable mother. She comes to suspect this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives and becomes increasingly infatuated with him.

Sounds cool. Let’s just hope nothing happens to anyone’s tounge in this one. We’re not sure we could go through that again.

If there’s one thing we love around here it’s Liam Neeson. He’s a cool customer who usually ends up in movies we relly enjoy watching like Batman Begins, Taken or the recent Unknown.

We especially like to watch when he’s demonstrating his “particular set of skills.” Those are seemingly in full effect in his latest film The Grey.

In The Grey, Neeson is pitted against a new foe, one that will stop at nothing to make sure he, and the people he’s protecting, don’t make it out of the wilderness alive. I’m talking about, of course, a pack of hungry wolves.

Yes, you read that right: wolves. Neeson is even a badass when he fights against nature. To prove my point we’ve got a new trailer for The Grey to share with you today.

Check it out after the break. The Grey, which in addition to Neeson features Dermot Mulroney and James Badge Dale, is directed by Joe Carnahan and hits theaters on January 27.

Liam Neeson is at the age many actors start to slow down and turn to safe, non-action roles. However, he’s obviously having none of that and is continuing to kick considerable ass.

His latest film The Grey, which is directed by Joe Carnahan, sees him as an expert in survival skills whose plane crashes in the arctic wild. He must lead a group of survivors to safety while fighting off some big, bad wolves.

Even if that doesn’t sound too interesting, you can bet Neeson will take it to the next level and do some serious damage to any wolf foolish enough to mess with him. After all, he does have a particular set of skills.

Check out the new trailer after the break. Look for The Grey to hit theaters on January 27.

For the record, I don’t know all that much about the early years of the infamous J. Edgar Hoover. I do know that he helped make the FBI what it is today but also had some other, more secret, proclivities that make him a rather controversial figure in history.

So, it makes sense that someone like Clint Eastwood, who likes complicated characters and to explore the “grey area” of morality, would take on a biopic about the late FBI director. That’s exactly what he’s done and cast Leonardo DiCaprio as the man himself.

Today, Warner Bros released the theatrical trailer for the film and in it we get a good look at DiCaprio’s portrayal of Hoover as well as some insight into the movie itself. Gotta say, and not really surprised here, it looks good.

Check it out for yourself after the break. J. Edgar, which in addition to DiCaprio features Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas, Armie Hammer, Dermot Mulroney, Lea Thompson and Judi Dench, hits theaters on November 9.

We’ve been waiting for this as some of us are big fans of Rizzoli & Isles here at The Flickcast offices. Yes Mr. Ullrich, we’re looking at you. Still, that doesn’t mean TNT doesn’t have some other fine programming as well.

To let us all know what the network hsa in store for us for the Fall and Winter, they’ve released their schedule for all to see. The new schedule includes the continuation of the current seasons of The Closer, Rizzoli & Isles and Leverage, which all return with new episodes on November 27 and 28.

It also includes the new season of Southland, which will kick off in January and the first installment of the network’s new original movie franchise TNT Mystery Movie Night, which will debut November 29.

TNT also announces additional castings on several of its movies, including Alfred Molina joining Scott Turow’s Innocent, Dermot Mulroney in Silent Witness, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Kevin Alejandro in Hide.

Here’s all the details on TNT’s upcoming premiere dates from the official press release: